Interesting new (to me) wine service idea

[Jenise]

A restaurant in New York City is now selling half bottles--half of a whole bottle, that is. Interesting idea that I like a lot. Would give one the ability to choose one wine for your appetizer and another for the main course. That article's here in today's NYTimes:

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/reviewing-ciano/?ref=style

Be sure to peruse the comments, too. One woman spoke of being surprised that in one case she got a carafe and the bottle showed up later (of her white) but with the red the wine was served in the bottle. Might be easily explained by the possibility that the other half of the white was being simultaneously served (in bottle) at another table, and they couldn't bring her that same bottle until the first table finished it.

I was amused too by someone describing running into this method in France, where instead of being served just half the bottle diners were served the entire bottle and trusted to take just half. My amusement was based on my own guilty knowledge of how well that would work at my table if we liked the wine a lot. We'd drain it!

I may be wrong but for some reason, Jenise, I don't think this would work in DC. Folks in DC can have a holier-than-thou attitude and this type of half bottle might seem akin to finishing someone else's wine, if you know what I mean. At least with a 375 ml bottle it's still a 'whole bottle'. I love to know if it's been done around here (I don't think so) and how well it will be received, long term, in NYC.

And then you'd pay for it! Both customer and restaurant happy.

I've seen this frequently, although not consistently, Jenise. Seen it in restaurants that are more interesting in having people enjoy wine with their meals than they are in reaping huge profit margins off the wine list.

Also seen it in places where the owner/sommelier is interested in exposing customers to a wider range of wines, and then trying to make it as easy as possible for the customer to do that by removing all the potential barriers.

Certainly no harder (less hard, actually) than running a good btg porgram, but with the same possible problems---maintaining freshness, having the courage to honestly assess and pour out a stale semi-bottle, etc. In other words, good wine management is required.

This is something I have taken advantage of (and played with) when I've seen it; in part because its fun, and in part because I want to encourage it.

PS: In the way back when (way back when Macaroni Grill was a decent casual restaurant) MG had a program where they would bring a bottle to your table---just plonk, really, but okay plonk---and sit it there, along with however many tumblers you needed. Then, at the end of the meal the waiter would gauge the bottle and write up how many glasses you had. Here's the nice touch: the wine was cheap, and the waiter always slightly "underestimated" (i.e., purposely understated by one glass) how much wine the table had had. That was brilliant: everybody was happy. And almost everyone returned for another meal. With their friends.

I was amused too by someone describing running into this method in France, where instead of being served just half the bottle diners were served the entire bottle and trusted to take just half.

At Allard, no less! Didn't realize this was an option.
I looked at list, at first saw some very high markups, but looking more generally they are actually pretty standard, about 2.5 retail (but probably range 2X to close to 4X). This system would definitely be an attraction to me.

Seen this system at work in several French and Italian restaurants. The biggest bonus goes not to the table for whom the bottle was sold but to other clients in that the second half of the bottle is sold to them either in caraffe or as single glasses at about a 30% reduction from what would be the regular price.

Best
Rogov

Halves suit me just fine; I'll get to try two wines with dinner instead of one.

I may be wrong but for some reason, Jenise, I don't think this would work in DC. Folks in DC can have a holier-than-thou attitude and this type of half bottle might seem akin to finishing someone else's wine, if you know what I mean. At least with a 375 ml bottle it's still a 'whole bottle'. I love to know if it's been done around here (I don't think so) and how well it will be received, long term, in NYC.

Actually, if I remember correctly, Proof does this. When we went there a while back, they said if you don't finish your bottle, you can either pay a percentage of the price (I think it was something like 60 percent if you drink half of it, though my memory is a little hazy) or you take the rest of the bottle home. We did the latter (it was a great St.-Joe by Faury for $40 -- OK, that part I remember).

I wish more restaurants had this policy because when my wife and I go out, usually an entire bottle is more than we want to drink, but I hate being limited to by the glass selections and their often rip-off prices. Selling real half-bottles would be nice but that seems pretty rare, too.

Actually, if I remember correctly, Proof does this.

I'll have to go there tomorrow if I get a chance and ask. I am warming to this particular half bottle idea after reading several posts.